The Knowledge Myth

“I know you're all very busy,” Anna said. “Thank you for your time.”

And with that, she turned and led Josh from the room.

Back in the class, Anna sat at her table. “Have a seat, Josh,” she said. With no other option, Josh sat at one of the desks. “Let me tell you a tiny bit about myself and the students here. I started my career with a wide open mind. I was excited to inspire students, to help them crave understanding and learning—to make a difference.

“My first job was pretty much the opposite of this place. A fancy prep school. Very posh. It was a dream job for a new teacher and I felt very fortunate. Within a year, though, it was clear that I didn't fit in.

“I tried several schools after that. Each was the same. I'd start with great hopes, but soon realize that all the schools wanted to do was stuff children with knowledge. It wasn't for me. I thought education should be something more.

“I drifted for several years, then by chance met a young woman. A remarkable woman. Bright. Very bright. Full of energy. Great with people. But she was stuck in a job she didn't really love, and worst of all, felt she had no choices. I was mystified. This was a truly remarkable person. She could probably have had any job she chose. As we grew closer, I asked her why she felt so trapped. Her answer surprised me: I don't have a college degree.

“I couldn't have been more shocked. That a woman so wonderful would be held back by a piece of paper simply floored me. The Knowledge the piece of paper represents is available for free in any library, or online. Andrew Carnegie saw to that. I knew that it wasn't the knowledge that mattered. It was what you did with it.”

Josh was spellbound.

“What happened to her?” he asked.

“I mentored her, I guess you'd say. I didn't know that at the time, but I encouraged her to shake free from the idea that the knowledge was the important part. That she needed not to know more, but to do more of what she already knew.

“The knowledge myth came from her. She took what I said and distilled it into that sign on the wall. She was, is, a remarkable woman, who's now a very successful and very happy entrepreneur.”

“And those people in the room?” Josh asked.

“They're all referred or hand picked by me. They're people who feel that a lack of knowledge is holding them back. As a result, they don't reach their potential. Our program helps them get over the myth of knowing and get on with the business of doing.”

Josh's mind was beginning to race. She was describing him. All the seminars, the books, the courses. The excuses he now realized. He fell for the Knowledge Myth all the time.

“How do you help them get on with doing? I completely understand what you're saying, but,” Josh thought for a moment, “I'm still not sure whether I'll actually do what I know. After this morning, I'm worried that when I get back to my desk, I'll still…” he trailed off, searching for the right words. “I'm worried I'll just play computer games and push paper around,” he finally finished. “I realize now that I've been lying to myself about work. I haven't really been doing at all. How do I actually do what I know I can?”

Anna looked at Amy, who stepped forward.

“Josh, I think that's best explained by someone who's had his own struggles with doing,” she said.

The day was pretty much over by the time Josh left the school, and Amy encouraged him to simply work on setting his behaviors. “I know you're worried about actually doing the work, Josh. But trust me. You need to finish deciding what to do. Tomorrow is another day, and I'm sure the person we're going to meet will help. Just remember,” she said, turning to face him. “Getting past the knowledge myth is about abandoning the fantasy of silver bullets. About feeling like there's some easy secret out there that everyone else knows that you don't.”

“It does feel like that at times. Even right now, I still feel like you know more than I do.”

Amy smiled. “I don't know more than you. Heck, I might know less than you. However I might say I do more of what I know. You don't need to know more.” She poked her index finger at his chest, smiling as she punctuated each word with a sharp jab. “You. Need. To. Do more of what you already know.”

“That's what I'm worried about.”

“Don't. Tomorrow we'll find out what's holding you back, okay?”

Josh nodded, and he felt his spirits rise.

When Josh pulled into his driveway at dinnertime, though, Kiera's car was in the open garage, and he felt a sudden pang of guilt. I haven't accomplished anything today, he thought. And the clock is still ticking.

He took a sidelong glance at Amy's sign on the Haltons' lawn next door. And thought back to the sales seminar. Maybe I should have thought more seriously about the coaching, he thought. He knew other agents in his industry who had used coaching. He'd always chafed at the thought of someone telling him what to do, but after his day with Amy and Anna, he was beginning to see the value in being held accountable.

Yeah, said the voice. Like the value in the fact that they're all doing better than you?

Josh turned his head away from the neighbor's lawn, and headed inside, where he found Kiera in the kitchen. They exchanged notes about their day while preparing dinner together. Josh poured them a glass of wine, and was reminded of his crazy ride with Cor the day before. He told Kiera of his strange, but encouraging week. To his surprise, she seemed unenthused.

“You're spending your days with Amy Deerham?” she asked. “Isn't she your competition?”

“I guess she is,” Josh said. “But—it doesn't feel that way.”

Kiera took a sip of wine, then set the glass down. “I'm sure you know better than I do, Josh, but when I look at the sign on Ben and Alexa's lawn, she sure seems like competition. Nothing more was said about Amy over dinner. But only because nothing was said at all, Josh thought. They'd eaten in silence, and then Kiera had simply gone to bed without saying goodnight, leaving Josh alone with his darkening thoughts.

After dinner, he tried to shake his growing gloom by focusing on work. He took an hour to more carefully define the specific, repeatable actions he could do that would drive him closer to his goal. There were calls to make, appointments to book, follow ups to make. Each one was clearly an action item, and directly linked to growing his business. Looking at the list, he felt cautiously optimistic. If I actually did this stuff, he thought, scanning the list of daily, weekly, and monthly actions, I'd be a top performer for sure. But it still seemed like a big if. Josh knew that there was a reality to face when he got to the office. He'd have to actually do the things on the list, and for a reason he couldn't explain, he just wasn't sure he would follow through. Maybe I do need a coach, he thought.

Fortunately, he was meeting Amy bright and early. He hoped that whomever he was going to meet that morning would have the insight he needed to move forward. Feeling hopeful, Josh headed for bed.